The Odyssey - || Strategy And Discussion ||

So I've started to try to get some more Thief runs under my belt as all of you sound like they are going well for you but I seem to be having different experiences then most of you... wondering if maybe it's how I'm doing it...

So my first three runs with Thief were over the last few weeks when I was testing out the lock picking and was using just Thief Tools at the time.

First run got Mimic on first coffer.

Second run, ended up getting one good run where I got 193 by just running around killing mobs that were near chest/coffers and popping that chest. Made it up to Floor 6 just popping nothing but chest and killing the few mobs around it.

Third run, got small box in first chest, mimic on second chest.

I was unable to get out of the range of the mimic on either spawn as he drew me back in so reraise ended up being useless.

Fast forward to 3 days ago... and I switched to Skeleton keys and decided to try thief again. Now I've done 4 runs with those and my luck has been even worse.

Run 1: I used same strategy I did above finding chest/coffers, killing mobs in aggro range and then popping it. Then moving onto next. I also popped a NM in this run by trading a pop item on floor 1, ended up with 203 scales and no mimics. Thought I was onto something.

For my next 3 runs... figured maybe I could save time by using sneak/invis and just dropping invis, popping chest when it's safe and then just killing any aggro that may have happened while invis was down.

Run 2: Small box on first chest, 1 aggro. Killed it. Moved onto second chest. Mimic. NO way to rr from Draw in.

Run 3: Mimic on first coffer. This time it appears as if I possibly got aggro a split second before I used the key. Was able to get out of range by running out as he killed me but was more luck than anything. Opened one more chest and one more coffer and then got another mimic, couldn't get out of range.

Run 4: Mimic on first coffer again. Again it looked like I got aggro right before the key was used. Couldn't get out of range of the mimic.

Does having aggro when you use the key increase the chances of mimic as far as we know or am I just having horrible luck with these? Any good strategies for getting out of range of these mimics so that the run can continue? This is really seeming very hit and miss to me at this point.

Ok Sunday's double run.


First run started horribly then on the seventh floor I got a chest that upgraded two and pulled two large boxes which upped the total for the run. The second run was more typical with me coming in slightly light on box vs singles. RNG be RNG bro.

If youre using just thief's tools, youll get a mimic very often. Living or Skeleton Keys are pretty much required to get a decent amount of chests without mimics.

On start of last page I explain it (like 5th time in this thread) how to deal with mimic solo (on naked mule). On page 27 I explain in too. On same page there is also a video of guy doing this in practice (jp video but it doesnt matter).

You need to make a better research :P

Sadly I'd seen your explanations but none of them made any sense to me. Didn't see how perfect dodge would be of any help in avoiding being out of range. I've now seen the JP video you mention and it looks like the key is using the trust to take hate so that you can die out of range. Looks easy enough, will give that a try.

I still don't see anywhere that explains whether or not having aggro when I open a chest/coffer affects it being a mimic or not... am I missing that info somewhere in this very long thread?

I had figured out how to Mimic-die out of range even without ever reading Simon's suggestion on it, but completely by accident:

As THF, I always use a tank trust for runs. So AAEV. When you get hit with a mimic, you should be on your dt set. Engage and hit, and let the tank flash. Now you can just run away and go open other chests/die elsewhere before the mimic kills your trusts and draws you in. Then you can safely revive and resume your run. Using something like perfect Dodge helps you stay alive long enough to engage, smack, and then run away without just dying near the mimic, which if you get aggro, is almost a certainty.

The funny thing about the trust mimic thing is that the mimic will continually keep drawing the trust in as they try to run away to catch you, and trusts have enhanced movement speed too a degree. The mimic can't attack out of range, so your trust actually ends up surviving a significantly longer time than they would have had they just been standing still. It's also quite funny to see koru moru constantly running away while getting sucked back in over and over again.

I really appreciate all of this information, it saved me from a lot of Trial and Error and the strategy allows you to take further advantage of the floor after that mimic. Much appreciated!

I think it was pretty clear.


There is no such info, but I can tell you from experience of around 400 opened chests that aggro doesn't matter.

Thanks must just be my bad luck then today with trying this new strategy. Will keep trying it.

Anyone else notice way less boxes from chests after last update?

It is possible to die out of range of a mimic and rr simply by running and being repeatedly drawn in as long as you fall down at the farthest point. I was like no more than 10 yalms away.

You was completely solo?
Also why not use trusts, it would be much easier. If you can already resist stun or you live long enough to move after stuns wear off, then putting trusts on mimic and going to die in safe spot is 100% reliable, while I was never able to simply run away from mimic and die in safe spot while being draw in.

Thanks for the tips everyone. Today's run went much better.

Was able to get all chest on Floors 1-3 without issue. Even got my Moogle Mastery upgraded to Level V when opening second chest on second floor.

On Floor 4, Mimic on first chest. Used Trust to keep him busy... you weren't kidding, they keep him really busy! I was able to run around and get both other chest on the floor and get to the crystal to go up before deciding to let aggro kill me. Got up, recast rr, resummoned trust and up to Floor 5.

Floor 5 was Mimic on second chest. For a second time easily avoided stun by using Maliance Set. Let trust take get hate and then got last chest and waited at crystal to die. Got up and then went up to 6.

Floor 6 was Mimic on first chest. This time stuck stun and I was still weak so I sadly died next Mimic with 8 minutes remaining. Ended up with 211 Scales. My best run yet thanks for the tips all.

Well what originally happened was the mule thf died to the mimic while i was fighting mobs so i had to kill the camp then engage the mimic so he could rr which he did and ran far away, i went to do the same thinking i was out of draw in range but the trust died and pulled just me back so i was left with sup trusts who couldnt hold it this time so i ran with the method i said b4 and was able to raise up after i died.

See, this is why I asked about this, because I kinda suspected that. I believe that haven't been said yet (I might have mentioned this between lines, but maybe even not). Only the THF who opens the chest gets aggroed on reraise. If you have more chars there, you will be able to reraise on them without aggro even on top of the mimic.

As expected, Strongboxes have a higher spawn rate using izzats after 50 coffers opened.

the 2nd char still fought the mimic died and reraised within 10 yalms. Unless you are trying to say the popper of a mimic retains some sort of special hate even after death where as other chars are cleared of hate on death? If that is what you meant how far is the RR aggro for the THF?

This is exactly what I mean. I believe its 20 yalms. Other chars, even if you fight Mimic with them, can reraise freely even next to Mimic.

Is there a point to using the pre-existing junctions vs the ones that appear when a Fetter is killed?

Do NMs killed by each method count towards the total number of kills in the moogle makes report?

Fetter is a random NM.
Pre-existing you pick via pop items.

Both count.

Tuesday double run


Both runs were very average, a few mimics but nothing crazy.

Hopefully this is enough info to gauge averages for hitting all 21 boxes.

Has anyone killed 10+ izzat-popped NMs to see if they become cheaper with kills as well?

Moogle Mastery X
30 NMs (all unique nm's)
2028 Nostos
71 chests
13 coffers

HUGE gap between MM IX and MM X... I got it on my 30th NM kill so it might be gated by 30 total NM kills...

The ones that appear after the fetter camp are izzat only, you cannot use items & its a random NM. Theres only 1 per floor and 4 fetter camps. Its probably so you dont have to carry up to 7 different pop items as repeats are not allowed.

It seems it isn't just NM kills. Since alt had less nm kills, Nostos, and chests. But, he killed 11/16, and I had 9/16. He was MM IX and I was MM VIII. Went and killed two nms that I hadn't killed, and on the first instantly leveled up. But, went and killed two nms also on my alt to make it 13/16 and I didn't level up from IX to X.

My numbers are similar to yours Weeew

2131 Nostos
39 NMs
85 chests
14 coffers

But, I am level IX. Assume killing some of the missing nms will result in X

That's really interesting. You have more than me in everything so it's confirmed unique NM kills gives a boost to Moogle Mastery.

Boost, or MMX is simply locked behind getting some minimum in ever category and unique kill of every nm is one of them.

I went from VI to VII last night killing 2 unique NMs (14/16 after) the second being number 20.

I had just hit VI the run before.

471 Nostros
20 NMs (14/16)
51 chest
3 coffers

VII

The cost to open coffers caps at 8 izzats (-7)

You opened 80 coffers? damn XD